M A I N   N E W S

Sonia takes BJP to task on graft
Tribune News Service

Kulu, February 21
An aggressive Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, today launched a frontal attack on the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Shimla for alleged all-round corruption and declared that they deserved to be thrown out on this count alone.

Addressing a massive and enthusiastic Congress election rally at the historic Dhalpur ground in the heart of this picturesque town, Mrs Gandhi said: “ I sometimes laugh when I hear the BJP and its leaders expressing concern over corruption. The fact of the matter is that the BJP-led NDA government can be described only as a ‘government of scams and scandals’. During its tenure there have been one scam after the other. These include the UTI scam, the petrol pump scam, Tehelka and most shameful of them all, the coffin scam, to name only a few,” she said amidst vociferous slogan-shouting by party workers.

“It was, therefore, strange to hear sermons from the BJP on corruption. “Ulta chor kotwal ko dante’,” she quipped to the amusement of the crowd.

This was Mrs Gandhi’s first poll rally in Himachal Pradesh in the current run-up to the election scheduled for February 26. Her earlier visit to Himachal, fixed for February 18, had to be cancelled because of incessant rain and snow in the higher reaches of the state. She was accompanied by AICC leader, Mohsina Kidwai, former Chief Minister of Himachal Virbhadra Singh and HPCC chief, Vidya Stokes. On arrival at the venue of the meeting, Congress Seva Dal workers presented her with the traditional Himachali welcome by beating nagaras and playing on narsinghas. Both Mr Virbhadra Singh and Mrs Stokes presented her with a Kulu cap and shawl.

Mrs Gandhi was dressed in a black pattu, the traditional Himachali dress. Mrs Gandhi spoke for about 20 minutes in Hindi and was heard with rapt attention. The impressive crowd repeatedly cheered her when she took digs at the BJP-led governments in Delhi and Shimla. Observers said that the gathering of Mrs Gandhi’s rally here was much bigger than that at Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee’s poll rally at Mandi yesterday. The BJP’s poll campaign managers, however explained that they had not been able to mobilise the people at Mandi yesterday because of short notice and inclement weather.